"Well, Ape,"
drawled a silky voice, "It's been three months since Doc left for
the Fortress. Do you really think we managed to pull it off?"

The gorilloid specimen
beside him smirked. "The last trace of that strafing run was
resurfaced today! Even if he's still got doubts when he gets back,
there's no proof that what we said wasn't 'Gospel'! I'll give you
odds that he's trying to dope out a reason for his 'coma'...which, of
course, he'll never fine!"

"Well...I just hope
this sort of thing never happens again! I don't think I could take
it!"

"I know what you
mean...Listen, let's make a deal!" The homely chemist's brow
wrinkled in thought. "Every time we see any female falling
for Doc -- or Doc getting soft-eyed over any 'skirt' -- what say we step
in and bust it up! It don't matter to me who gets her...just so
she don't get her hooks into Doc! We've seen what can go wrong if
THAT happens!"

Ham considered a
moment. "Deal!" he said, as he shook hands with
Monk. It was probably the last thing they would ever agree on!

Monk turned to the
console on Doc's desk, punched several buttons and smiled.
"O.K., that resets the phone-answering gizmo. Howsabout we
get some chow?"

"I suppose the
office can take care of itself for a while." Ham
scowled. "Are you sure you set that thing right?"

"I know how to push
buttons!" muttered Monk as he moved to the door.

"Matter of
opinion..."

The door closed on the
burgeoning argument.

An ebon mist that had
mingled with the shadows of the darkening room swirled and
coalesced. Soon, a raven-clad woman with flaming hair stood in the
office. No alarms registered her presence. The camera which
kept ever-watchful surveillance on the office did not record her image.

She moved gracefully to
the padded chair behind the great desk. She softly stroked it,
tasting the nuances of the leather with her fingertips.

"You are far away,
my beloved," she murmured. "I shall come again at
another time...for we are not finished -- you and I."

Her eyes grew darker and
starry and she smiled as her human form faded once again into ebon mist
that seeped quickly away through a crack in the doorframe.

The room was once again deserted...but
somehow colder than it had ever been before.